Bilal Benn came off the bench to score 17 points and lead five Niagara players in double figures as the Purple Eagles topped Norfolk State 80-69 in the third-place game of the Sun Bowl Invitational Tuesday night.
Kashief Edwards and Rob Garrison added 16 points each for Niagara (9-5). Tyrone Lewis had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Anthony Nelson had 11 points. Lewis and Garrison had four steals each and Nelson had three.
Michael Deloach scored 26 points to lead Norfolk State (1-10). Rob Hampton added 18 points and Christian Morris had 15 points and nine rebounds. Kyle O'Quinn grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Spartans.
Norfolk State shot 43.9 percent, nominally better than Niagara's 43.1 percent. But the Spartans couldn't hold onto the ball, committing 26 turnovers that Niagara converted for 32 points.
